look at this, a green ig kwan na eats a salad for lunch. hot shots, pictures worth a thousand words. thanks for watching. i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." join us weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. every saturday right here on cnn. at this time every weekend on cnn international. the news continues next. a superstar in the release of a human rights hero. it's a cnn exclusive. there's been a lot in the news lately about men of the cloth. tonight, a bishop comes out in front of his congregation. and some say it was a plane and

a missile. good evening, i'm don lemon. a long-awaited day as finally come in the southeast asian world of mir ran mar. aung san suu kyi is free. look at that. that was the scene just today. the nobel peace prize winner walking out of her house a free woman. she'd been made a hero of everyone from president barack obama to humanitarian bono. >> it's a cautious joy. because, you know, though she's out in the world in the way that

we need her to be, she's perhaps more vulnerable if they should take advantage of her being outside of the own four walls. >> we'll have more in a moment. but, first, a look at suu kyi's release from someone inside myanmar. >> reporter: it was the moment that people in the world had been waiting for. the burmese opposition party free. her residence has been a prison for 15 of the last 21 years. waving to her supporters and putting a trademark flower in her hair, she said very little in the first encounter with the

public, only telling the crowd, i am very happy to see you all again. and then telling supporters to come to the headquarters of her opposition party at midday on sunday where she plans to address them in a speech. hundreds of supporters have word of her possible imminent release spread. many more came to the headquarters and many of them wore t-shirts bearing her picture. we managed to speak to some of her supporters but have had to hide their identities to protect them from retribution by the military authorities. >> of course there's pressure by the military but we know that we're doing the right thing so we don't fear the pressure of the government and the military. we're doing the right thing. >> we really want her to come back to the party. she would be the leader of the national democracy forever. we're hoping for someone who will truly represent the people and that can only be aung

san suu kyi. state television aired pictures showing her meeting with military officials, allegedly shot on saturday. since 1989 when she was charged with trying to divide the military, she's been released at least twice but the military leaders have tried to stop her from being politically active or restricted her freedom. this time, those close to her said that she would have rather have stayed in detention than accept any conditions. >> of course, every time she's been released, it's a delicate dance with the burmese junta. this is a dictatorship that has the ability at any time to decide that she's crossed some line that they've set in their own minds. my guess is that the military

regime is going to claim that there's nothing for her to discuss with them because they've just had what they would claim to be a democratic election. so we'll have to see how things play out. >> for now, supporters of aung san suu kyi will want to know where the lady plans to lead them in the future. and now for my cnn exclusive. she has a rock star following. do you remember the song called "walk on"? it won a grammy. listen ♪ walk on, walk on >> the face was a red face on the t-shirts. that was aung and one of the band members and lead singer bono has been a great supporter of her for years. this has been a great joy since the freedom fighter is free from

house arrest. here is bono. >> this is sort of a cautious joy. though she's out in the way of the world that we need her to be, she's perhaps more vulnerable than if they should want to take advantage of her being outside of her own four walls. so very excited. very thrilled at the possibility of a rational discussion with the people of burma by the military junta. but we're not sure. we have to see the 2,200 political prisoners still in prison for the crime in believing in election results. so until they start to release those prisoners, we won't really be free and neither will she. >> it's cautious optimism but

here's my question. people know about you and your charitable work for africa and what you do for hiv aids. but we didn't really know much about your feelings on burma and on aung san suu kyi. why is it so important? >> it's one of freedom and equality and our audience has had to listen to this stuff for a long time. and i was a member of amnesty international for nearly 25 years and we've been very informed about what has been happening in her life and she's kind of mandela of our moments. and you think the head of what

we've learned from amnesty, they are actually quite vain. they are vainer than rock stars. they really do read all their prep. >> that was just the beginning of it. you know, he may be filled with joy, as he said, but bono is not satisfied that his hero is released. hear what he says has to happen to make one of the most famous political prisoners mean something. back with that in just two minutes. we're going to hike up here, so we'll catch up with you guys. [ indistinct talking and laughter ] whew! i think it's worth it. working with a partner you can trust is always a good decision. massmutual. let our financial professionals help you reach your goals.

not sure what to take? now click on the robitussin relief finder. click on your symptoms. get the right relief. makes the cold aisle easy. the robitussin relief finder. it's that simple. okay. now more of my exclusive interview with bono. he's making a plea that the release of aung san suu kyi does not happen in vain.

>> when the community keeps her front and center in the media. cnn has done a great job on this. >> you wrote a letter about why you wrote the song called "walk on" and it was said to honor her. this is what you said. this amazing woman put family second to country who, for her convictions, made an unbearable choice not to see her sons grow and not to be with her husband as he lost his life to a long and painful cancer. suu kyi with an idea too big to any jail and a spirit too strong for any army changes our views as only real heroes can, of what we believe to be possible. >> what can we learn from aung san suu kyi? >> grace, really. she's a character, really. maybe that's what she has in common with nelson mandela. her struggle has become a symbol

of what is best about our humanity and worse. but she has managed to just keep this kind of calm in the middle of the storm and i think that's why people are so attracted to her. of course, it's the courage and conviction. >> have you spoken to her today? >> no, i have not. we've met her family and spoken to her family recently but not today. i was speaking to the burma action people and they were thrilled and they are having a moment tonight. but she was released before. >> yes. >> and at that point, it was 2002, she was released in '95 once, put back in prison, and released back in 2002 once and put back in prison. the word is that there's no real negotiation going on at the moment. in 2002, the u.n. was

negotiating with her, with the military junta with an end voice and it was not senior enough. what we would love to see now is, you know, somebody gifted as an negotiator as taking advantage of this and start a dialogue. that started in 2002 and didn't get anywhere. for this to be real and breathe a sigh of relief, there has to be progress towards real peace. >> my thanks to bono for agreeing to that interview today. let's talk about what is crossing the cnn political ticker. >> rarely do they do anything about it. that could change if both parties follow through on the messages that they are giving out this weekend. president barack obama called for reforms to the earmarked process in his weekly address. and house gop leaders are planning a conference vote to ban earmarks all together.

who will take the number two leadership position when they become the minority? nancy pelosi brokered a deal that will lead steny hoyer to become the minority whip. james cli born agreed to take on a third-ranking position. and former white house chief of staff rahm emanuel is making it official. he formally announced his bid to run as mayor of chicago today. >> i love this city, the place my family came to, the place where i was born, i want to fight for a better future for all of the people of chicago and that's why today i'm announcing my candidacy for mayor. >> and for the latest cnn news, go to cnnpolitics.com. >> for them it's called four loko and it could be the drink of choice. it's been called a black out in a can. maybe it's no surprise that some

college students love it. kate baldwin checked it out herself. >> reporter: the name and the effects are hard to forget. and after nine students at central washington university were hospitalized after drinking four loko, state officials banned the sale of it and caffeinated malt liquor like it statewide. they are not alone. michigan officials have also banned the sale of alcoholic energy drinks and college campuses nationwide are taking a closer look. >> the general concern with alcohol and energy drinks is that when you mix the two, you're creating an unstable combination in your body. we worry that our students are not as informed as they could be about the consequences of mixing these two substances. >> reporter: the university of maryland has not officially banned the drink but is stepping up out dlds reach to warn them of the potential dangers. dangers that a doctor says are not new but now served up in a

ready-made mix and a can he says that is marketed to young drinkers. >> what the caffeine is doing, it's encouraging people to drink far more than they should. it masks the effect of the alcohol so people don't feel the state of intoxication that would lead them to stop drinking. >> this is what the controversy is all about. this one can has as much alcohol as about five beers and at a fraction of the price. no wonder four loko has earned the name the bring drinker dream and a blackout in a can. its manufacturer defends its product and says it's just as safe as any other alcoholic beverage when consumed responsibly. >> i know a lot of students get full cases just because it's so inexpensive. less than $3 a can. >> he wrote about four loko for the paper for the university of

maryland. by and large and despite the headlines, students don't seem to care. >> it's a cheap means to an end and a quick means to an end and students abuse that. >> so it seems many people are still getting mixed messages from this controversial mixed drink. kate baldwin, cnn, washington. up next, they are defying traditional views about money, education, and achievement. how students in one low-income school are succeeding in the face of budget cuts. into plus, a mega church pastor with four kids announces that he's gay. le be here to tell us why he decided to come out and what it's been like since he made his announcement. you're not going to want to miss this one. chuck wo chuck wo it chucking my wd!ang woodk,

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a top official in suburban washington said that he will be cleared of federal charges that he and his wife received of years of kick backs.

jack johnson is outgoing executive and a councilwoman, both appeared in federal court friday after a four-year fbi investigation just as they were about to be arrested the couple was flushing a check for $100,000 down the toilet. mrs. johnson allegedly hid $80,000 in her bra. medical workers in haiti are you a pauled at the number of patients dying in the cholera outbreak. e-mail and online bill pay are taking a bite out of the agency more than twice the money they lost last year. people are not buying as many stamps. a lot of people assume education

budget cuts lead to low performing schools. steve takes us to al an bam ma school. >> reporter: faced with deep cuts, they could make a lot of excuses. ♪ but failure is not an option. >> statistically you almost don't exist. 100% black, 60% poor, homeless children in your school. this is the worst economic time and you have one of the top ten schools in the entire state? why are there resources not holding you back? >> quality instruction make as difference the relationship between that teacher and student make as difference. the skill that that teacher has,

when she goes into that classroom, that makes a difference. >> what makes it a good school? >> our parent base is phenomenal. no matter what we need, our parents are there to fund-raisers, to volunteer time. we have people that understand whatever it takes to get the job done, we have to do. and if somebody wants to come in and volunteer and help, we are willing to accept that help. >> so you have found a way to inspire your teachers, children, and parents to stay focused on the children and the business of education? >> we have to bring out our a-game every single day. we have to set an example. >> we have to make it sound exciting. >> we're in the business of educating students and if they are not educating, we have not done our job. >> reporter: steve perry, birmingham, alabama. you don't want to go anywhere. when we come back, the mega church pastor who announced that

he's gay. >> i wouldn't have known what to call it at the time is my sexual orientation. i know a lot of straight people think that orientation is a choice. i want to tell you that it's certainly is not. >> he is here live. i'm going to explain to bishop swilly, why he came out now and how his kids and wife are reacting to this news. plus, what exactly was that mystery streak in the sky of california this week? we're going to take a closer look and a different look for you. [ female announcer ] in the grip of arthritis, back, or back joint pain?

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the congregation at a georgia mega church will never forget and heard it one recent sunday. pastor jim swilley stood before them as a grandfather and announced that he was gay. >> there are two things in my life that are an absolute. i did not ask for either one of them. both were imposed upon me. i have no control over either of them. one was the call of life. the other thing, it's my sexual orientation. i know a lot of straight people

think that orientation is a choice. i want to tell you that it certainly is not. >> pastor swilley is a pastor in georgia and joins me now here. thank you. >> hi, don. >> everyone will tell you that it's very brave of you, even those that don't support what you did. you're 52 years old and you're a grandfather? >> i am. >> why do it now? >> well, my ex-wife and i have been married 21 years. she's my co-pastor. we have had a successful life by two years ago she said to me -- i was honest with her and two years ago she said, you know, the model of our church is real people experiencing the real god

in the real world and you have this message for everyone else that god loves them as they are but you don't give yourself that same grace. >> she was in a cover? >> not at all. it's unconventional, not a typical marriage. it's real in the sense that we have real children and we live in a real house and have built a real ministry. we were not intentionally lying. i guess we were trying to change the situation that is unchangeable. if we have pictures, we should put them up. how has your family and your kids reacted to this? >> well, i would have never said anything publicly until -- i knew that all four of my kids were okay. i talked to each of them individually. they knew the situation. they knew there had to be some reason why their mother and i

were divorcing because we've had a very am mckabl marriage. they've never heard us fight or be disagreeable at all. so i had to tell them and i had to make sure that i had a green light from them before i said anything publicly. because if they said, dad, we don't want you to say this, i don't think i ever would have. >> we are going to talk much more. there are some members of the congregation who believe this means, when you said that, that you were going to be celibat and that gay marriage is not legal and a church says that marriage is between a man and a woman. what does that mean for you sexually? does that mean that you're not going to be with anyone else? hang on. let's talk about that after the break. >> or do we have to talk about it at all? >> more after the break. i can my own homemade jam, apricot. and i really love my bank's raise your rate cd. i'm sorry, did you say you'd love a pay raise asap ? uh, actually, i said i love my bank's raise your rate cd.

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bags back now with pastor swilley. i asked you, what does this mean for you, as far as having a partner sexually. >> well, when i talked to the congregation that night, i said i don't know what the future holds and it's not my business. i usually don't like to answer

that question, not because i have anything to hide but straight people have a tendency that orientation is just about sex and that's where a lot of the confusion comes with the church. the reason i not dance around that issue but i'm careful about how i answer it, the orientation is about much more than that. gay couples have been together for 10, 15, 20, 35 years, i got a letter from somebody yesterday who has been with his partner for 42 years. orientation is about love, it's about a world view, people who have lives, commitment, they buy houses, raise children, live lives. so straight people have a tendency to think it's just about sex and that's one reason why it's an issue in the church. >> and you think it's sort of making it sa labor shous by talking about it? i know you said because of the bullying and the young men in new jersey who killed himself, tyler clemente because -- >> i knew that after we were

going to divorce, i knew we had to say something about it and i was neither denying or confirming what people were speculating and then people started asking me questions about they heard i left her for a man and other speculations. she encouraged me a long time ago to say something about it. i said, look, these words will never come out of my mouth. but then something like four, five, six suicides in matter of days and the young man that you mentioned, for some reason his suicide was the tipping point for me. >> you said the hardest part was your wife thinking that she was not attractive? >> well, that's something we had to make sure she understood. >> i said, look, you're a beautiful woman. there's nothing wrong with you. you're a desirable woman. the part of me that's her

husband wants to still feel like, you're my wife. you shouldn't be with anybody else. the part of me that is her friend, wants her to be happy in a way that she's known for some time, i could not provide that for her. we have a great mutual respect, a great synergy of working together and there comes a point where we say, how much time -- >> i'm going to read some of your comments. ask him about eddie long. >> and the next one -- >> i don't really -- what are you asking? i don't really -- i know bishop long, i've known him for a long time and he's always been very gracious to me. >> i think it's because of proximity, not only in time but in space. you -- i mean n. place. you guys are basically -- >> yeah. >> and he's been accused. >> right. >> of using his influence.

>> you don't think the two really have anything to do -- >> no, not at all. and i'm not trying to make myself look good. i'm saying that my situation is completely different. >> someone said, ask him what make as man want to be with another man? where is that in the bible? >> oh, man. you didn't prepare me for these. you know, when it comes to people bringing up bible stuff, i love the scriptures. i believe they are inspired. the bible says a lot of things about a lot of things that people don't have answers for. everything from paul supporting slavery, which none of us would support that now. to many things. the scripture says, if you're given glutony, put a knife to your throat. we seem to be fine with fat christians. >> it talks about children. >> all kinds of things. if you have a son that doesn't work for a living that is rebellious, take him by the hand and lead him to the elders of

the city and let them stone him until he's dead. we don't support that. that's what the bible says. >> it sounds to me, are you saying that people in the church, many use the scriptures and the bin bell in order to sort of enslave people or to control them? >> as a weapon. absolutely. and the thing is -- >> you think it's a distortion of the scripture? >> i do. it's a collection of books written by different authors over a 15-00 year period. there's a reason why i y paul said it has to be rightly divided. it means when you look at it, you cut it off. >> okay. we have to go. did jesus ever talk about homosexuality? >> not a bit. >> what do you think that means? >> i don't know. he talked about a lot of things. there were many authors in the bible that never mentioned it. moses did, paul did, jude did. jesus was silent on it.

>> real quickly, do you think there's going to be an awakening in the church and that there's going to be more to come? >> well, my position is not about gay and at the church. it's about people being who they are and realizing that god loves everybody individually and everybody has the right to work out their own salvation and your relationship with god is completely between you and god. i can't make a judgment call on that. >> the church supports you? >> so far. >> you lost one church. >> i lost many churches under my covering but we're fine. >> thank you. appreciate it. >> thank you. we're back in a moment on cnn. ♪

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aung san suu kyi walked out

a free woman today. she's been held for 15 of the past 21 years. she's expected to speak to her supporters on sunday. we'll have it for you on cnn. san francisco's mayor is doing what he can to keep the happy meals. and he said parents, not politicians, should decide what kids should eat. the board has enough votes to override the mayor's veto. she's one of hollywood's original blond bombshells. we're talking about zsa z zsa zsa gabor her doctor thought it was a critical situation and he feared a massive blood clot could have traveled to her heart. as it turns out, it was an

infection. she's 93 years old. still ahead, the mystery streak about california that has theorists coming out of the woodwork all week. we're going to talk to radio host -- you know him -- george norie next.

it is the who done it that is stopping sky watchers all over the world. it was a missile, a ufo, spotted in the skies over southern california and now the speculation. here is jeanne moos. >> three, two, one, liftoff of the jon stewart dubbed mission impossible. >> it looks like it could be a launch from a submarine. >> a missile from a navy sheep. >> could it be a secret test? >> or russian sub?

>> reporter: we're surprised somebody didn't guess the wicked witch of the west. and now the missile theory is surrendered from the website contrailscience.com. experts agree that the plume off the california coast. >> contrail is a condensation trail. >> reporter: water coming out of a jet seen here from another plane, sort of like a breath on a cold day. they got an unintentional makeover. >> what else could do that? >> reporter: some say they know exactly what it was. >> us airways flight 808. >> reporter: actually, an aviation photography buff that focuses on flight paths and scheduled and captured a similar contrail in the same place 24 hours after the now famous one. >> the same daily flight from

honolulu to phoenix was in the same position as well. that was kind of the smoking gun for me. >> smoking contrail. after the west coast missile, there was another strange siting here on the east coast. wcbs in new york had the video. >> the hot streak in the sky moving briskly behind. >> reporter: some say it's also from a jet, similar in situation to which the plane is visible. >> the trail has been lit by the setting sun. >> reporter: one joker suggested that the west coast contrail was iron man. jay leno suggested that we follow the trail of the mystery contrail. >> let's play it backwards and trace where the contrail came from. oh, look, there it is. there it is right there. >> reporter: contrail controversies have happened before and they will happen again so --

♪ happy trails to you >> reporter: make that contrail. ♪ until we meet again >> reporter: jeanne moos, cnn. we have more on what he thinks created the mystery contrail monday night. call investigator of on norian, investigator of the paranormal and time travel and all things unexplained. now he is a radio host that's called "coast to coast a.m." i immediately thought of you when i saw this. what are people saying to you about thi >> not only that this object, whatever it is, don, light up the skies near los angeles, it lit up our phone lines on "coast to coast a.m." they are still calling since it happened on monday. nobody knows what it is. the theories you just talked

about are all over the place. could bit a jet contrail. could it be vapor? but the big theory is that it could possibly be a missile from a submarine, maybe even a chinese sub. >> missiles go a lot faster than that. i mean that would be a really slow, outdated missile. >> i agree with that. it could have been one of those solid propel laants. the frightening part of all of this is that nobody knows. >> nobody can explain this? >> absolutely. absolutely. >> why so. >> we need to shore up our defenses and we need to get answers to what these objects could be. if it's a plane, tell us it's a plane. if honolulu to phoenix flight, tell us that. and nobody is being specific. >> okay. it sounds like a ufo, and when we talk about a ufo, it doesn't

necessarily mean it's from another planet, it's just an unidentified flying object. is there a conspiracy that people are flying? >> generally behind every conspiracy, there's a lot of truth behind it and eventually years later, that truth really comes out. in this particular case, people are just baffled. they just don't know what it is. they want answers, ever since the television station shot the video of this trail going up, everybody's been baffled by it. i happen to think we need answers from the government and if it's some kind of a chinese sub test launch, just to show, hey, look what we can do, tell us that. we can handle it. they have said one thing, it's not a threat to the united states. well, obviously. the thing went into the ocean. it didn't go toward land. >> so i suffer with insomnia, many a late night and i listen to "coast to coast" and i hear

people talking about these issues. and have any of your callers or any of the people who listen to you, do they remember or you, as a matter of fact, anything similar in recent history that has been unexplained? >> we get a lot of calls whenever they launch anything from vandenberg, we have had these strange cases several weeks ago about this unidentified flying object over the skies of manhattan. they were not balloons launched from a school. there are a lot of mysteries out there, don, that just aren't explained. that's one of the things we try to do is to get real answers from real people every night. nobody knows. >> why do you think people are so fascinated by this, why it lit up your phone lines? >> i think they're fascinated with the unknown. people want answers, but at the same time, they want to be told that there's something spooky out there, it's scary. and as long as the phones keep lighting up, we'll try to give them the answers.

>> george noory, it is always a pleasure, and best of luck to you, stay warm, we know it's chilly this time of year. an auction of bernie madoff's belongings. >> this is everything from all four corners of the new york city penthouse and the beach house. this is everything. >> if you want to see them, there's a lot of them that are interesting. stick around. [ j. weissman ] it was 1975. my professor at berkeley asked me if i wanted to change the world. i said "sure." "well, let's grow some algae."

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so every weekend we like to bring you some interesting news items that you might have missed during the week. scientists have discovered a new menu species. experts stumbled across them at a rural dine never southern vietnam. the scientist was intrigued by the unusual markings and thought it might be a new species. by the way, the scientists say they taste awful, nothing like chicken. okay, so try slipping this on a republican finger. the gem is said to be the

largest in the world valued at 8 $8 million. the courthouse news service reports a gem buyer testified this week that he bought the emerald in 2001 and he lost his bill of sale after his house burned down. thomas said he thought the defendants in the case played a part in the house fire. an expert also testified that the emerald is worth over $800 million. thomas said he paid $400,000 for it. a tallahassee man has some major bragging rights, really. earlier this month, he caught the state's longest gator on record, more than 14 feet long, it was killed in the state's annual alligator harvest, hauling the 68-pound gator to land, it took an epic two-hour battle. it beat the previous record by three inches. you won't find a bargain in -- the u.s. marshall service sold off the belongings of wall

street conman bernie madoff. our christine romans has a look at what was on the auction block. >> reporter: big ticket item is a 10.5 caret diamond ring, vs-2 in clarity, extremely fine proportions, $350,000. how about play it again, bernie. this is a steinway and sons grand piano. it takes a year to create one of these handmade beauties. the bench we're told is included. $16,000 is what they're expected to fetch on this one. perhaps in the price list category, this is just because you want a walk a mile in bernie's shoes, perhaps bernie's shoes, belgin shoes, 18 pairs of them, casual tile, size 9 wide. and after a long day of stealing billions, maybe you want